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H. ANDERSON FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 5, 1933 8 Sheets-Sheet l Aug, 20,1935.

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Aug. 20, i935. i H. ANDERSON FEEDING MECHANISM 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1935 v INVENToR. -HELMER ANDERSON ATTORNEYS.

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Aug. Z, E935. H4 ANDERSON FEEDING MECHANISM 8 sheets-sheet 3' Filed July 5, 1933' IN VEN TOR.

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Aug.. Z, 1935.. H- ANDERSON Zg@ FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 5, 1933 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 EN TOR.

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Aug. zu w35. H. ANDERSON www FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 5, 1955 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR.

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Aug 20, E935. H, ANDERSON FEEDNG MECHANISM Filed July 5, 1935 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR.

HELMER ANDERSON BY t i f nl( l ww( YW ATTORNEYS.

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Aug, 2Q), i935. H. ANDERSON FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 5, 1955 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 L INvEN-ro AT TORNEYS Pai-@med Aug. 2o, 1935 iTfsD srrss FEEDING MECHANISM Helmer Anderson, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Application July, 1933, Serial No. 679,045

32 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved feeding mechanism for advancing commodities along a predetermined path of travel, while various op erations are being performed upon the commodities as, for example, the closing of .the open tops of filled containers.

The invention concerns itself more particularly with the provision of a novel feeding mechanism applicable for use in-connection with bag closing f and sealing, or packaging machines, of the general character disclosed in my Patent No. 1,772,-

824, issued August l2, 1930, and it has for an object to provide such a mechanism comprising a guideway along which the commodities or bags are intermittently fed by a series of connected and constantly operating pushers.

A further object is to provide a feeding mechanism comprising a guideway having spaced side walls, one of which is staggered in heightto there# by provide a plurality of raised wall portions which cooperate with the other side wall of the guideway to provide a series of supporting means, spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway, and each adapted to receive and temporarily support a container or bag while work is being performed thereon by suitable mechanisms located atsaid raised wall portions or supporting means.

A further object is to provide a feeding mecha- `msm particularly adapted for handling flexible containers such,` for example, as paperbags, and comprising a guideway havingy space-d side walls, one of which has its upper edgeV staggered' in height to provide` a plurality of alternate high `and low wall portions, andV a series of pushers mounted adjacent to said guideway andhaving means for moving them into and out of the guide-` way over said low wall portions to'thereby advance the bags or containers along the guideway in a step-byestep motion, the bags temporarily coming to rest at said raised wall portions which serve to support the bag bodies to prevent them from becoming distorted, when work is performed thereon to close and seal the opentops thereof.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of the class described, comprising a guideway having spaced side walls, one of which is composed of lower and upper sections, and the lower section having its upper edge staggered in height to provide a plurality of raised wall portions spaced i apart lengthwise of the guideway, and the upper section comprisinga plurality of downwardly eX- tending wall portions substantially alined with said raised wall portions and cooperating there-l with to support the bag bodies, and said downwardly extending Wall portions being so arranged with respect to' said raised wall portions as to permit a series of pushers to move into and out of the guideway from one Side thereof to intermittently advance the bags or commodities along through the guideway.

Other objects reside inthe provision of such a mechanism which is adjustable to bags'and con-A tainers of various shapes and sizes; in the specific construction of the bottom wall of the guideway; in the particular'arrangement and construction Vof the pushers, whereby they may be relatively adjusted to suit the spacing between the raised wall-supporting portions of the guideway; and,

in the means for operating the pushers in timed relationtc the delivery of bags into the guideway.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims. f

In the accompanying drawings, there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown as various changes may be made within the scope of the claimsfwhich follow.

In the drawings:

' Figure i is a side elevation of the novel feeding mechanism herein disclosed, showingl the driving means for the pushers; n

Figure '2 is a plan View of Figure l, showing the pushers about to engage the bags in the guideway;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional Viewl on the; line 3 3 of Figure 2,.showing the means for relativeiy adjusting 'the bottomvwall of the guideway, and also the means provided at intervalsV along thev guideway to supportl the bags while work may be performedr upon the tops thereof;

Figure 4 is a sectional plangview substantially on the line ll--4 of Figure l, showing the operating mechanism for the pushers;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the guideway and pushers, other parts of the structure being omitted:V n

` Figure 6 is a cross-sectionalview on the line -Ev of Figure 2, showing a portion of the mechanism for moving the pushers into and out of f the guideway, and also the means for controlling vthe operationof the pushers; i Y

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view on the line ll-'i of Figure 2, showing the cam and'lever mechanism for operating the pushers;

Figure 8 isla cross-'sectional View on the line 8--8 of Figure-2, showing the guideway and pushers adjusted for relatively smaller bags or containers;

Figure 9 is a detail sectional View on the line- 9-9 of'Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a detail sectional vieW on the line iof Figure 1l;

Figure ll is a-side elevation of the guideway, showing the arrangement of the walls thereof, other parts of the structure being omitted for the salie of clarity; and

Figure l2 is a sectional plan view on the line III-I2 of Figure 1l, showing in broken lines, the substantially rectangular path traveled by the pushers.

Machine. frame (Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7) The novel feeding mechanism herein disclosed is shown comprising a main supporting structure or Aiframe comprising longitudinally extending lower frame members 2 2 and upper frame members 3 3, secured .together in spaced relation by upright members 4, 5, 6, and 'l at the front sideof the machine, and by similar upright Gateways (Figures 3, 6, 7, s, 11 and 1,2)

An important feature of this invention resides in the novel means provided for guiding the commodities or bags through the machine.

Ashereinbefore stated the feeding mechanism isk particularly adapted for the handling of .flexible containers such, for example, as paper bags, whose walls may readily be distorted, if the bag bodies are not properly supported while work is being performed upon the bags as, for eX- ample, the closing of the open tops thereof. The feeding mechanism herein disclosed, has been found particularly applicable for use in connection with bag closing and sealing Vmachines such as disclosed in my patent, No. 1,772,824, hereinbefore mentioned, and Patent No. 1,772,823. The structures disclosed in these patents, when combined, form a machine comprising a plurality 'of mechanisms which operate upon the bag-top walls andfolds them into closing relation, after which a suitable gummed sealving strip is applied to the folded bag top to seal it. These various mechanisms are spaced apart l lengthwise of the machine and provide a plurality oi stations, at which stations each bag temporarily comes to rest, as the bags are fed through the machine, to thereby permit said mechanisms to operate upon the bag tops. The bag top closing and sealing mechanisms, above referred to, are clearly illustrated in the above mentioned patents and it is therefore thought unnecessary to illustrate thenrin the present application.

Because of the-flexible nature of the walls of the bag' bodies, it is necessary that means be provided for-supporting the bag bodies While vwork is being performed upon the open tops thereof, in order to prevent distortion of the bag bodies, and the novelifeeding mechanism herein disclosed is. so constructed as to amply support tions 3d and 35 of the wail section '31.

the bag bodies and, at thesame time, permits them to be freely moved along through the machine through the various stations.

As shown in Figures 6, 7, 8, il, and l2, the guideway comprises a side wall i3 having a pluu rality oi brackets iQ suitably secured thereto which are adjustably supported upon upright frame members 2l, 22,A and 23, shown provided upon the upper longitudinal frame member 3 at the back of the machine. The brackets i9 are provided with suitable slots 25 adapted to receive clamping bolts 25 whereby the brackets may be adjustably secured to their supports to thereby permit lateral adjustment of the side wall i8, as when adjusting the guideway for bags of various V sizes and shapes. l

, section 2i, which is secured to the machine frame, and is adaptedY for horizontal adjustment only; The upper portion of the wall section 25 shown provided with iianged guide blocks '32 slidably mounted in slots 33 provided in a plurality of opstanding or raised wall por- By thus constructing the Wall section 2i, it will be noted that the upper edge thereof Ais staggered in `eight. In other words, it is provided with a plurality of alternate high and lou7 wall portions, as most clearly shown in Figure il. The guide blocks operatively connect together the two wall sections iii and 2l, so that when adjust ably secured together for a given size bag, they Will function as a single unitary wall structure.

The front-wall of the guideway, compos-ed of wall sections andlZl, like the opposite wall ifi, is adjustable towards and away from the longitudinal center line of the guideway, whereby the guideway may be adapted for bags of different widths to thus laterally adjust' the wall Ysection-sad and El. ihewall section 2i' is shown securer to a plurality of horizontally disposed brackets 35 having reduced extensions Si slidably mounted in guides 35i and wherein they may be secured in adjusted position by suitable set screws 39, as clearly illustrated in Figures 7 and 3.

Disposed directlyv above the wall portions and 35, and substantially verticallyY alined ther with, are a plurality of downwardly extending wall portions and 35 which are secured to a longitudinally extending member adjustably secured to a supporting plate @il by suitable brackets 5t and and bolts 8b, as shown in Figure 2. The lower edges ofthe wall portions 3d and S5 are spaced from the upper edges of the raised wall portions 3i! and 35, as clearly shown'in Figures 3 and il, to thereby provide gaps 5'@ therebetween for reasons which will subsequently be described. f

Another feature of the invention resides in the construction of the bottom wall of the guideway whereby it may readily be vertically adjusted to accommodate the guideway for bags oi diiierent heights. This bottom wall is shown composed of a channel member t i, a plate ft2, and a pivoted member 43, provided at the receiving end of the machine. The channel member l is shown suitably secured to threaded rods fill having Worm Wheels 45 received in threaded engagement therewith and supported between Vsuitable guides v($23 and 4l of brackets 48 shown secured to the portion I2 of the machine frame, as shown in Figure 8.

The means provided for relatively rotating the worm wheels i5 upon the threaded rodsfilli is shown comprising a shaftllil mounted in suitable bearings provided in the brackets 48, and having worms 5i thereon meshing with the worm wheels 55, Ji/"heny the shaft i9 is rotated, the worm gears will be simultaneously rotatedupon the rods dit to thereby vertically adjust the bottom wall member as will be readily understood by reference to Figures 3 and 7.7, The end of the shaft 49 is squared, as indicated at 52 in Figure 3, to receive a suitable wrench or crank, not shown, whereby it may be rotated. Y

The plate ft2, fo-rming a'l portion of the bottom wall of the guideway, is supported upon spaced rods 53, slidably mounted in suitable guides provided in a bracket 5t'. 'A yoke 5ft is adjustably secured to the rods 53 below the guide bracket 53', as shown in Figure 3. This yoke is operatively connected to an arm 55 secured to a shaft 56 mounted in suitable bearings 5l and 53 on the machine frame. A suitable adjusting screw 59 is mounted in the arm 55' and is adapted to engage the po-rtion '5l of the machine frame, as shown in Figure 6, to thereby limit the downward movement of the yoke 5d and whereby the upper surface of the plate l2 ,may be horizontally alined with the upper surface of the channel member t l Means is provided for rocking the shaft 5S to vertically move the plate e2 during operation of the machine, and is shown comprising an arm 62 having a roller 63 thereon adapted to be engaged by a cam 54, whereby the shaft will be rocked in its bearings to thereby elevate the plate 42.

The plate l2 has an important function to perform, when the guideway or feeding mechanism is used in connection with a bag closing and sealing machine, such as disclosedA 1n my above mentioned patents, in that it exerts'Y an upward pressure upon the bottoms of the bags during the final operation of folding the bag top walls to thereby square and shape the bag bodies.. In some instances, it may be found desirable to dispense with the plate ft2, in which case the channel member lli may be lengthened so as to meet the pivoted bottom member 53.

The member "t3 is supported at the receiving end of themachine by a suitable pivot 65, and has its opposite end supported `uponan extension 66 provided upon the plate 42. Bythus supportingY the swinging end of the member t3 upon the plate 12, the member i3 will be relatively adjusted vertically when the plate 42 is adjusted.`

Advancing 'means (Figures-2, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 12) Another important feature ofV this 4invention resides in the means provided for intermittently feeding or advancing the bags along through the guidewaywhereby the bagswill temporarily come to rest between the'bag body supporting wall portions 35-35 and the side wall I8, as best shown in Figures 1l and 12.

l and 5. The pushers 5l are secured together in spaced relation by a suitable tie bar lt, shown in Figures 7, 8, and 12, whereby they are adapted for simultaneous operation when said tie bar 16 is reciprocated upon the rail l2.

To adapt the heads 'il of the pushers for bags ofdifferent heights, a plurality of plates ll and 'i8 are provided which are interchangeably supported upon said heads, as shown in Figures? and 8. When the guideway is adjusted for handling rela-tively small bags, the shorter plates 'il are used, as shown in Figure 8, and when adjusted for handling larger bags, as in Figure 7, the longer 'plates l@ are used.,

Drioz'ng' mechanism (Figures 1, Z, 4, 6, and 7) Means is provided forl reciprocating the pushers, both laterally and lengthwise of the guideway, as-indicated by the broken lines iiiil in Figure l2, whereby the pushers will move into and out of the guideway to advance the bags in a step-by-step movement.

The means for 'moving the pushers laterally, or

in and out of the guideway, is best shown in Figures 5 and 7, and comprises la pair of arms i9 having links @l connecting them to the slidable brackets lo, as best shown in Figure 6. The arms 'iii are secured to a rock shaft 82 mounted in suitable bearings on the machine frame. Each arm '5S is shown provided with an extension S3 having suitable tension springs 813i connected thereto. These springs are also connected to one o-f the lower frame members 2 of the machine frame to. thereby constantly urge the arms 'i9 in adirection so as to take up anyslack or play l in the joints to thereby minimize noise.

AnarrnB-l is secured to the shaft 32 and has a connecting rod Sii connecting it to one end of an arm 8l supported upon a pivot 88 and having its opposite end provided with a roller t@ adapted to travel in a slot di provided in a cam 92 secured to a main operating shaft S3, mounted in suitable bearings @El at the rear of the machine. The cam 92 is mounted for relative adjustment upon the shafts 53 by means of adjusting screws 95 received arcuate slots Si provided in the cam. The connecting` rod is adapted for longitudinal adjustment whereby the pushers may laterally adjusted with respect to the longitudinal center line of the'guideway.

The -earns provided for moving the pushers lengthwise of the guidcway'is best shown in Figures l', Li, 5, and l, and comprises a pitman ill having one end pivotally connected to one of the pusher heads et, and having its opposite end pivotally connected to a bracket 93 secured to one of the links of a suitablechain QQ, mountedV upon a pair of sprockets iti and ilii, as best shown in Figure 5. The sprockets ibi and m2 are secured to upright shafts m3 and Itlft, respectively, mounted vsuitable bearings in the machine frame. The shaft itil has secured theretova pinion H15 which is driven by a gear i536 provided upon a horizontal shaft till. TheY shaft lill is operatively connected to the main operating shaft ating shaft and comprises a drive snait l i2 having a pinion 93 by a suitable bevel gear drive I 08, as sho-Wn in Figure cl, t will thus be seen that when the shaft v93 is rotated, the chain 9S will also be operated i3 meshing with a gear l id secured to a ratchet its rotatably mounted uponthe main operating shaft S3. The drive shaft H2 is connected at its opposite end to a cross shaft H5 by a suitable evel gear drive Us, and the shaft IE5 is shown operatively connected to a motor -l l? by a suitable belt drive i i8.

An arm 2l is secured to the main operating shaft and carries -a spring-actuated dog l|22 adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet H5. The 22 is normally held out of engagement with the ra chet'by means an arm 523, pivotcd at to the machine fram-e and adapted to engage an extension 325 on the dog, the arm iEi is in the position shown in Figure The arm 623 has a link l2? connecting it toY an arm t28 secured to one end of an upright shaft 29 upon the opposite end oi which is mounted a trip Ii normally positioned in the path of travel of the bags, as shown in Figure 6. A suitable clearance opening is provided in the side wall I8 of the guideway to permit the trip i 3l to swing freely therethrough. The arm ISI is adjustably mounted uponthe shaft 29 whereby it may be positioned for smaller bags.

Operation In the operation of this novel feeding mecha- `hism, the bags are delivered into the guideway from the left hand end of the machine, when viewed as shown in Figure 2, The bags may be delivered thereto by manually placingthem in the receiving end of the guideway, or by feeding them thereto by mechanical means, not shown. As each bag is moved along the guideway, it will engage the trip 13| and move it from the dotted to the full line position shown in Figure 2, whereupon the arm 23 will be moved out of engagement withthe extension i25 of the dog 122, and thus permit the latter to move int-o driving engagement with the ratchet I l5 to thereby cause the arm l2! to rotate with the ratchet, with the result *hat the operating shaft 93 is also rotated;

Such actuation ofthe operating shaft 93 will cause oscillation of the arms l, whereby the slides ifi carrying the track or bar 'i2 upon which the pushen are mounted, will be moved towards the guideway from the position shown in Figure 7,

to that shown in Figure 5, whereupon the headsY '1i of the pushers El will move into the guideway in alinement with the bags positioned therein.

At the same time, the chain $9 will be rotated as a result of the shaft l 34 being operatively connected with the operating shaft S3 by the gears ii, les, and H35, which will cause the pushers to be reciproca-ted in a lengthwise direction upon the supporting track l2,

When feeding relatively large bags through the machine, the side walls of the guideway and also the bottom wall thereof may be adjusted to the positions shown in Figures 6 and 7, wherein it will be noted that the relatively longer pusher plates l are secured to the heads 'H of the pushers so as to engage the' major portions of the rear end walls of the bags as will be clearly understood by reference to Figure 6. During each cycle of operation, the blades 'i3 of the pushers will pass over the lower wall portions of the front wall section 2y between the raised portions 35 thereof, and the arms 69 of the pushers will travel through the gaps 5B provided between the wall portions 3J) and 3d', and 35 and 35', as will be clearly understood by reference to Figures 6 and 8.

Each bag will temporarily come to rest substantially in alinement with each raised wall portion 35 and its 'complemental depending portion 35', as the bags are intermittently fed through the machine, whereby the bag bodies will be supported at the sides softhat when pressure is eX- erted upon the tops of the bag bodies bythe bag top closing mechanisms, not shown, the bag bodies will not'beccme distorted. When operating on relatively smaller bags, the side walls of the guideway may be moved inwardly to the position shown in Figure 8, and the bottom wall thereof moved upwardly as there shown, to thereby reduce Ythe size of the guideway. When operating on small bags, the relatively smaller pusher blades or plates 'I1 are also substituted for the relatively larger pusher blades I8, shown in Figures 6 and 7. In order to adequately support the sides of the bag bodies, the wall section 26 of the front wall is also preferably moved upwardly, as shown in Figure 8, whereby the bag bodies will be adequately supported on both sides.

The pushers are `so timed and adjusted that they will iollowa path, substantially as indicated by the broken lines |00 in Figure 12, wherein it will be noted that when they reach the limit of their forward movement, they are moved rearwardly on substantially a straight line, a predetermined distance, before they are movedout of the guideway. By relatively adjusting the cam 92 upon the shaft 93, and longitudinally adjustingl the connecting rod 85 and the pitman Sl, the path traveled by the latter may be VVaried to suit conditions.

The novel feeding mechanism herein disclosed is comparatively simple in construction, and

readily lends itself for use in connection with bag closing and sealing machines. It has been found that'the pushers may be operated at a comparatively high rate of speed, as they do not start with a full load, as does an endless conveyer chain having a plurality of iiights thereon, such as .shown in mypatents, above mentioned. In the mechanisms herein disclosed, the pushers are in full-motion before they lengage the bags to ad- Vance them in the guideway, which makes it possible to feed the bags through the guideway at a higher rate of speed than is possible with an endless conveyer ohain.- The various parts of the machine may readily be adjusted to adapt it for handling bags of different sizes and shapes,

which is an important factor in machines of this character for the reason that numerous commodities are now dispensed in small bags or containers weighing from l to 7 or more pounds.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway comprising spaced side walls, one of which is staggered in height, a plurality of pushers for advancing commodities along said guidevfay, and means for imparting longitudinal'and lateral reciprocal movements to said pushers in a horizontal plane way, and means for relatively vertically moving to move them into and out of the guideway between Ythe raised portions of said staggered wall.

2. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway comprising spaced side walls, one of which is staggered in height, and means for advancing commodities along said guideway, including a series of pushers movable into and out of the guideway overthe lowermost portions of said staggered wall, andin a given plane. i

3. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway comprising spaced walls, one of which has a staggered edge thereby to provide a plurality of projectingportions spaced apart, lengthwise of the guideway, and means for intermittently advancing commodities along said guideway, including a series of connected pushers movable into and out of the guideway between the projecting portions of said staggered wall, said projecting portions serving to support commodities Yin the guideway to permit work to be performed thereon.

4. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway comprising spaced side walls, one of which has its upper edge staggered in height, means for advancing Vcommodities along said guideway, including a series of pushers, and means for simultaneously operating said pushers in an angular horizontal path whereby they will move into and out of the guidewayA over the lowermost portions of said staggered wall.

5. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway comprising spaced side walls, one of which is staggered in height to thereby provide a pluralityof raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway, and means for advancing coms modities along said guideway, comprising a series of connected pushers movable into and out of the guideway between said raised wall portions, and in' a given plane.

6. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway comprising spaced side walls, one of which is staggered in height to thereby provide a plurality of raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway, means for varying theY spacing between said Walls, means for advancing commodities along said guideway, comprising a series of pushers movable into and out of the guideway between said raised wallrportions in a given plane, and an operating member common to all of said pushers. i

*7. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway comprising a bottom member and spaced side walls, one of said side wallshaving its upper edge staggered in height to provide a pluralityV of upstanding wall portions,spaced apart lengthwise ofthe guideway, means movable into and out of the guideway between said upstanding wall portions for advancing commodities along said guideway,

and means for relatively vertically moving one per edge staggered in height to provide a'plurality of raised wall portions spaced apart lengthvwise of the guideway, means movable into-and out of the guideway. between said raised wall portions 'for advancing articles alongA said guideone, of4 said side walls. e, e

l0. Ina feeding mechanism, a guideway comprising spaced walls between which the bags are advanced, one of said walls comprising a plurality of alternate high and low portions, and

a member having means for moving it into andk out of the guideway over adjacentrlow wall portions to thereby advance the bags along the guideway.

V1l.. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway along which the bags are advanced, said guideway comprising spaced side walls and a bottom wall, one of said side wails comprising a plurality of alternatehhigh and 4lowportions, and a member for advancing the bags along said guideway, said member being movable into and out of the guideway over adjacent low wall portions.

l2. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway along which thebags are advanced, said guideway comprising opposed side walls and la bottom wall, one'of said side walls comprising a plurality of alternate high and low portions, a member having means for moving it into and out of the guideway over adjacent low wall portions to thereby advancethe bags along the guideway, and means 4wherebysaid side and bottom walls may be relatively adjusted to vary the size of the guideway.

13. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway along which the bags are advanced, said guideway comprising spaced side walls and a bottom wall, one

of said `walls `comprising a plurality of alternate high and low portions, a member for advancing the bags along said guideway, means for moving said member into and out of the guideway over said low wall'portions and whereby lthe bags will temporarily come to rest at said high wall portions, andmeans forvertically adjusting the bottom wall to adapt the` guideway'for bags oi varying heights.

lll. vIn a feeding mechanism, aguideway comprising spaced walls between which the bags are advanced, Aone of said walls comprising a plu"- rality of alternate .high and low portions, a plurality of members for intermittently advancing; the bags along said guideway, means for moving said members into` and out of the guideway over adjacent low wall portions and whereby the bags f will come torestat saidV highwall portions, and

means for varying the size ofthe guideway to adapt it for bags of different sizes.

l5. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway com'- prising spaced walls between which the bags are advanced, one of said walls being staggered in v height and'comprising a series of alternate high and low portions, a plurality of members for advancing the bags along `said guideway, and

`means for imparting uninterrupted movement to said members and whereby they are moved into and out of the guideway over adjacent low wall v portions to intermittently advance the bags along the guideway."` i6. In a feeding mechanism, a guideway comprising spaced'wallsv betweenwhich the bags are advanced, one of said walls being staggered in height land comprising a plurality of alternate high and low portions, a member for advancing the bags along said guideway, and means for moving said member into and out of the guideway over adjacent low wall`portions, whereby the 'bags will corne to rest opposite said high-wall portionswto be temporarily supported thereby, and whereby work may be performed upon the bags. while thus supported. Y

17. In a feeding vmechanism comprising spaced side walls and a bottom wall cooperating to provide a guideway for the bags, one of said side walls being staggered in height to provide a plurality of alternate high and low portions, a plurality of members for intermittently advancing the bags along said guideway, and means for moving said members into and out of the guideway over said low wall portions and causing the bags to temporarily come to rest opposite the high portions of said staggered wall, whereby they will be supported by said high wall portions and thereby permit work to be performed upon the bags while thus supported.

18. lIn a mechanism for advancing iilled flexible containers along a predetermined path, aV

guideway comprising spaced side walls, one of which is composed of upper and lower sections, said lower section having its upper edge formed with a plurality of,V raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway, and said upper section having a plurality of downwardly extending wall portions cooperating with said raised wall portions to provide a plurality of supports for filled containers fed along said guideway, and means for advancing the containers.

19. In a mechanism for advancing iilled bags along a predetermined path, a guideway com- Y prising spaced side walls, one of which is composed of upper and lower sections, said lower section having its upper edge formed with a plurality of* raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of Vthe guideway, and said upper section having a plurality of downwardly extending wall portions cooperating with said raised wall portions to provide a plurality of supports for lled bags fed along said guideway, the adjacent edges of said upper and lower wall portions being spaced apart to provide gaps therebetween, and means for intermittently advancing the bags along said guideway. v f

20. In a feeding mechanism for advancing filled bags along a predetermined path, a guideway comprising spaced side walls, one of which is composed of upper and lower sections, said lower section having its upper edge formed with a plurality of. raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway, and said upper section having a plurality of downwardly extending wall portions cooperating with said raised wall portions to provide a plurality of spaced supports for filled bags fed along said guideway, the adjacent'edges of said upperA and lower wall portions being spaced apart to provide gaps therebetween, and means for intermittently advancing the bags along said guideway, comprising a plurality of pushers movable into and out of the guideway between said raised wall portions.

21. In a mechanism for advancing lled bags I along a predetermined path, a guideway comprising spaced side walls, one of which is composed of upper and lower sections, said lower section bags, and a series of pushers for intermittently advancing the filled bags along the guideway and whereby they will temporarily come to rest at said supports.

22. In a mechanism for advancing lled bags vide aV plurality of raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway, and said upper section comprising a plurality of downwardly Vextending wall portions, alined with said raised wall portions and spaced therefrom vertically to provide elongated gapsbetween ,said complemental wall portions, said raised and depending wall portions cooperating to provide a plurality of supports for the bodies of the filledbags, a series of pushers for intermittently advancing the lled bags and causing them to temporarily come to rest at said supports, and means for operating said pushers, whereby they will move into and out of the guideway between the bag-supporting wall portions thereof.

23. In a mechanism for advancing filled bags along a predetermined-path, a guideway comprising spaced side walls, one of which is composed of upper and lower sections, said lower section having its upper edge staggered in height to provide a plurality of raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway, and 'said upper section comprising a plurality of downwardly eX- tending wall portions, alined with said raised wall portions and having their lower edges spaced therefrom to provide elongatedrgaps in said side wall, said raised and depending wall portions cooperating to provide means for supporting the bag bodies at intervals along the guideway, a series of connected pushers for intermittently advancing the filled bags and causing them to temporarily come to rest at said supporting means, means for operating said pushers in a horizontal plane, whereby they will move into and out of said guideway between the bag-supporting wall Y portions thereof, and means by which the walls of the guideway may be vertically adjusted to adapt the mechanism for 4handling commodities of varying sizes. i

24. In an apparatus for advancing filled containers along a predetermined path, a guideway comprising a bottom and spaced side walls, one of said side walls being staggered in height and comprising a plurality of alternate high and low wall portions, said high wall portions forming supports for containers fed through the guideway,

means for varying the height of said low wall portions to adapt the guideway for containers of different sizes, and means movable into and out of the guideway for advancingthe containers therethrough. p

25. In an apparatus for advancing lled containers along a`predetermined path, a guideway comprising av bottom and spaced side walls, one of said side walls being staggered in height and comprising a plurality of alternate high and low wall portions, said high wallv portions forming supports for containers passing through the guideway, and said staggered wall comprising two plate elements secured together in iiatwise relation and vertically adjustable with respect to each other, whereby the upper edges of said low wall portions may be variedin height to adapt the guideway for handling containers of different sizes, and means movable into and out of the guideway for advancing the containersV therethrough.

26. In an apparatus for advancing lled containersr along a predetermined path, a guideway comprising a bottom and spaced side walls, one of said side walls being composed of upper and lower sections spaced apart vertically to provide a passage therebetween, and means movable into and out of the guideway through said passage, adapted to engage containers delivered thereto and advance them along the guideway in spaced relation.

27. In an apparatus for advancing lled containers along a predetermined path, a guideway comprising a bottom and spaced side walls, one of said side walls being composed of upper vand lower sections spaced apart vertically to provide a horizontal passage therebetween, advancing means movable into and out of the guideway through said passage, adapted to engage containers delivered thereto and advance them along the guideway in a step-by-step movement, and means by which certain walls of said guideway may be adjusted independently of the others, to thereby adapt the guideway for handling containers of dilerent sizes. i

28. In a mechanism of the class described, a guideway comprising a bottom wall and spaced side walls, one of said side walls being staggeredv in height to thereby provide a plurality of raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway, means movable into and out of the guideway between said raised wall portions for advancing commodities along the guideway, means whereby one of said side walls may be adjusted both vertically and horizontally to adapt the guideway for commodities of different sizes, and means for relatively adjusting said bottom wall.

29. In a mechanism of the class described, a guideway comprising a bottom wall and spaced side walls, one of said side walls comprising upper and lower sections, said lower section being formed with a plurality of raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway, and said upper section having depending wall portions alined with said raised wall portions and having their lower edges spaced from the upper edges of said raised wall portions, and means movable into and out of the guideway between said wall sections for advancing commodities along the guideway.

30. In a mechanism of the class described, a

guideway comprising a bottom wall and spacedside walls, one of said side walls comprising upper and lower sections, said lower section being formed with a plurality of raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway, and said upper section having depending wall portions whose lower edges are spaced fromy the upper edges of said raised wall portions, means movable into Vand out of the guideway between said wall sections for advancing commodities along the guideway, and means for relatively adjusting the spacing between said wall sections to thereby adapt the guideway for commodities of different sizes.

3l. In a mechanism of the class described, a guideway comprising a bottom wall and spaced side walls, one of said side walls being staggered in height, thereby to provide a plurality of raised wall portions spaced apart lengthwise of thev guideway, means whereby said raised wall portions may be relatively adjusted in height with respect to the lower wall portions of said side wall, and means movable into andfout of the guideway between said raised wall portions for wall, and means movable into and out of the guideway between said raised wall portions for advancing commodities Valong the guideway.

HELD/IER ANDERSON. 

